Indonesia Struck by 7.7-Magnitude Quake

Indonesia's Arun liquefied natural gas (LNG) plant in Aceh and palm oil and rubber shipments from a key port in Sumatra province operated normally after a 7.7-magnitude earthquake struck the area on Wednesday.

The quake, which struck around 5:15 a.m. (2215 GMT), was centred 200 km (125 miles) west-northwest of the coastal town of Sibolga and was at a depth of 31 km, the U.S. Geological Survey said. The epicentre was around 215 km from Medan, the largest city on Sumatra. A state oil firm Pertamina official said the 120,000 barrels per day Dumai refinery in the central part of Sumatra was also unaffected by quake in Aceh, which was located in the northern part of the island, Reuters informs.

Dozens of houses collapsed or were damaged in the Teupah Selatan subdistrict, the hardest-hit area on Simeulue, while many power poles also collapsed, knocking out electricity on the island.

"At least 12 people were injured, including four in critical condition, and they were treated at a local hospital," said Anang, an official at the Health Ministry's crisis centre, who like many Indonesians uses only one name. He said the injured were hit by falling electrical poles, roof tiles and broken glass.

It was the latest in a series of earthquakes to hit Aceh in recent months, The Earth Times reports.